BHS volleyball rallies past Granite Hills

APPLE VALLEY — Things weren't going well for the Burroughs volleyball team early on against Granite Hills, so the team made some adjustments. The Burros rallied to beat the Cougars in four sets, 19-25, 25-20, 26-24, 25-16, to remain undefeated in DSL play.

APPLE VALLEY — Things weren't going well for the Burroughs volleyball team early on against Granite Hills, so the team made some adjustments. The Burros rallied to beat the Cougars in four sets, 19-25, 25-20, 26-24, 25-16, to remain undefeated in DSL play.

"The girls made really good adjustments and did a really good job," Burros head coach Michele Lazaro said. "We made Granite Hills make mistakes, we wore them out, and we took advantage of some things that we saw on the other side."

Burroughs (6-4, 2-0 DSL) put itself in an early hole by dropping the first set. A lineup adjustment got the Burros back in the match.

"In the beginning of the first set we were acting like individuals — that's why we didn't win," Lazaro said. "We adjusted our lineup and the girls realized, 'Hey, we need everybody out here.' Tthey played really strong."

After winning the second set by five, Burroughs took control of the match by prevailing 26-24 in a closely-contested third set. Outside hitter Michaela Metcalf put away the set with a kill that capped a play unlikely to produce the set-winning point.

"It was a rocket pass from the back row, Allie passed it across the court and it was coming in like a rocket — and Michaela just killed it," Lazaro said. "It went right against the block and rolled right down. That was a big momentum shift."

Strong serving in the fourth set carried Burroughs to victory. Defensive specialist Laurie Orbita served well at crucial moments, and a block by outside hitter Bridget Ingle and opposite hitter Megan Smith sealed the win.

"The serving was really on when we needed it to be," Lazaro said. "In the fourth set the girls just worked — they just wore them down and it was pretty cool. We got them pretty frustrated."

Outside hitter Allie Sliva led the team with 19 kills and 22 digs, to go along with 12 service points. Metcalf had 19 kills, seven service points and six digs. Both players played significant offensive roles in the victory.

"Michaela and Allie were awesome on the outside — they did exactly what we needed them to do," Lazaro said. "They had some misses, but they definitely kept working hard and they tried to wear the other team down — and it worked."

Libero Rebecca Floyd had another good defensive game, finishing with 20 digs. As a team, the Burros served well — setter Chantia Jennings had seven service points and a team-high 24 kills, Orbita had seven points and Smith finished with five points.

"It's a big win — I definitely think that we weren't the favorite going into this game," Lazaro said.

Offensively, Burroughs had to deal with Granite Hills' 6-foot-2-inch middle blocker Hailey Jackson. After Jackson smacked down a Burros' overpass for a point early in the match, the team did its best to work around her.

Page 2 of 2 - "When she was on the front row we tried our best to be strong, and when she was on the back row we took advantage because they had no blocks," Lazaro said.

After an up-and-down preseason, Burroughs has won its first two league matches on the road. Lazaro said the key to the come-from-behind win against Granite Hills was teamwork.

"We just continue to try and be a team and hold everyone accountable," Lazaro said. "The girls are just working hard together and trying to be a team — not just one player."

Burroughs continues DSL play with a pair of home matches next week. The Burros face Silverado on Tuesday and host Victor Valley on Thursday — both matches start at 5:30 p.m.